2023 CONTEST SUBJECTS

FLATWORMS – MACRO – Atlantic or Pacific. Note that this does not include nudibranchs (sea slugs).
Submission deadline: December 31st

PARROTFISH – ANY LENS – Your best Parrotfish, whole or a part, an individual or a school, Atlantic or Pacific.
Submission deadline: December 31st

NO VIDEO CONTEST

ALL BOTTLED UP – ANY LENS – Subjects located within a bottle (the majority of the subject must be in the bottle). Creative lighting and backlighting is encouraged.
Submission deadline: January 28th

BOTTOMS UP – ANY LENS – A shot of anything from a looking-up perspective, ie. from below. No humans, no over-under shots.
Submission deadline: January 28th

BOTTOMS UP – VIDEO – Video of anything from a looking-up perspective, ie. from below. No humans, no over-under shots. 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: January 28th

SHRIMPS & CRABS ON THINGS – MACRO – Any shrimp or crab sitting on another animal. NO manipulation of the subjects! No shrimps/crabs on/in anemones.
Submission deadline: March 4th

SQUID AND CUTTLEFISHES – ANY LENS – Any squid or cuttlefish. No octopuses.
Submission deadline: March 4th

NO VIDEO CONTEST

NIGHT SHOT – ANY LENS – Shot exclusively at night, not snooted. Includes blackwater.
Submission deadline: April 1st

BLACK BACKGROUND MACRO – MACRO – Shot during the day, no blackwater or a night dive. No post-processing masking; the black background must be achieved in-camera. The use of a snoot is allowed/encouraged.
Submission deadline: April 1st

NIGHT VIDEO – VIDEO – Shot exclusively at night, including blackwater, any subject(s). 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: April 1st

FACE TO FACE – ANY LENS –  Any image that shows two faces facing each other. It can be two different species or the same species. No humans.
Submission deadline: April 29th

SHOOTING FOR THE STARS – ANY LENS – Starfish / sea stars from around the world. The starfish must be the main focus of the image with no animals riding or feeding on it.
Submission deadline: April 29th

NO VIDEO CONTEST

SILVER FISH WITH SCALES – ANY LENS – Any kind of predominantly silvery fish with scales, such as Barracudas, Tarpon, Silversides, Mackerels, Needlefishes, etc. Can be a single fish or multiples. Silvery Fishes is a specific category in the Reef Fish Identification books for our area and the Pacific. This category includes “fishes that are silver to gray in color and are generally unpatterned … all have forked tails.” If in doubt, check either of these books for which fish fit this category.
Submission deadline: June 3rd

MAJESTIC ANGELFISH – ANY LENS – Singles, pairs, or groups of any Angelfishes, Atlantic or Pacific. Check your fish ID to ensure it is an Angelfish, family Pomacanthidae.
Submission deadline: June 3rd

OVER/UNDER – VIDEO – This video will highlight the use of the over/under technique. Any subject. The entire video, or clips, must be filmed with motion. 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: June 3rd

SUNRISES AND SUNSETS – WIDE ANGLE -Showcase the rich vibrant colors of a sunrise or sunset. Over-unders accepted and encouraged for this one. Must be a natural sunrise or sunset and must be shot from in the water.
Submission deadline: July 1st

SWIM THROUGH – WIDE ANGLE – Show us your best shot of a swim through where the light can be seen at the far end. (arches, wreck passageways and short, clear, tunnels enclosed on all 4 sides, no opening at the top).
Submission deadline: July 1st

SWIM THROUGH – WIDE ANGLE VIDEO – Show us your best video of a swim through where the light can be seen at the far end. (arches, wreck passageways and short, clear, tunnels enclosed on all 4 sides, no opening at the top). 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: July 1st

ANEMONE SHRIMP – MACRO – Several species of shrimps share a commensal relationship with sea anemones. Photograph the shrimp ON the anemone, both must be in the shot.
Submission deadline: July 29th

ANEMONES – ANY LENS – A shot featuring an anemone, and must not include any inhabitants (fish, crabs, shrimps, etc.). This includes sea anemones, tube-dwelling anemones, corkscrew anemones, etc.
Submission deadline: July 29th

NO VIDEO CONTEST

AMBIENT LIGHT – WIDE ANGLE – A shot done in all natural light without strobes or video lights.
Submission deadline: September 2nd

SHARKS – WIDE ANGLE – Show us your favorite shark shot. No feeding visible in the shot.
Submission deadline: September 2nd

ANEMONES – VIDEO – Anemones and the creatures living in them. 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: September 2nd

CLOSE-FOCUS WIDE ANGLE (CFWA) – WIDE ANGLE – Use the distance of the subject from the camera relative to a subject in the background / foreground to create a uniquely large or small perspective. The key here is to make a very large subject “appear” very small, or a very small subject “appear“ large. Of course scuba divers are great subjects to use as points of reference.
Submission deadline: September 30th

MARINE GASTROPOD MOLLUSKS – ANY LENS – A live, hard-shell mollusk (this includes snails, scallops, bivalves etc. and excludes sea slugs/nudibranchs). The animal and/or mantle must be visible, not just the shell. No hermit crabs!
Submission deadline: September 30th

NO VIDEO CONTEST

EYELASHES – MACRO – The use of macro lenses and diopters to focus on the eyelashes of a creature. A couple of subjects with eyelashes are hermit crabs and cirri on blennies (if they are on top of the eyes and look like eyelashes).
Submission deadline: November 4th

PORTRAITS – MACRO – When they smile and pose for the camera; head shots.
Submission deadline: November 4th

HERMIT CRABS – Video showing hermit crab activities and behavior. 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: November 4th